


An Open Letter to Steven Moffat About Why Mental Health Should Never be a Punchline

by TheNavelTreatment



Series: Open Letters to Moffat [3]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Analysis, Asperger's Sherlock, Autism Spectrum, Gen, Mental Health Issues, Meta, Social Commentary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-01
Updated: 2014-02-01
Packaged: 2018-01-10 18:22:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1162998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNavelTreatment/pseuds/TheNavelTreatment
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A critique of the way life on the Autism Spectrum is dealt with in the Sherlock.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Open Letter to Steven Moffat About Why Mental Health Should Never be a Punchline

 

_* Okay, this post needs to come with a disclaimer. Whenever I’ve been critical about this show in the past, I’ve tried to be as neutral and fair as possible, because (a) I love Sherlock Holmes in any form and (b) I’m sure it’s not easy being the show-runner for something that has such a huge following. But this is going to be a little bit of a rant. I get very passionate when it comes to mental health issues. My little sister has PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified) a spectrum disorder similar to Aspergers, and I get very protective when the media takes on autism in general. One of the reasons why I’m in law school is because of all the ways I’ve seen the system fail her over the years._

_There are a couple of things this post is not. _This is one viewpoint from someone who’s experienced life with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) firsthand. _This is my opinion, and mine alone.__  This is not the last word on how autism is dealt with in terms of Sherlock; these are just concerns that I see.  While I have some experience on the subject, I am not a doctor or a healthcare professional or anything like that. I’m far from an expert; dealing with spectrum disorders is a very individualized experience, and I would never claim to speak to that of someone else. I know there are a lot of people with autism who relate to Sherlock, and I don’t want to take away from that.  I know there are those out there who will disagree with everything I’m about to say, and that’s fine, I just ask you do so respectfully._

_I’ve written about a lot of things over the years, but I’ve always stayed away from discussing mental health because I never wanted to trivialize what my sister and so many others are going through. If I was going to say anything, I wanted to get it “right.” Recently, however, I’ve realized that there are not enough conversations going on about what reality on the spectrum is like, and more importantly the ways we can improve that experience. I think that needs to change. If you want to talk about mental health, PDD-NOS specifically or any other spectrum disorder, or anything else, please do message me._

_Syntax point: I’m going to use “autism spectrum” and “ASD” interchangeably throughout this post where I feel they flow best_

> JOHN: You know he’s actually pleased you’re here?  
>  JOHN:  _Secretly_  pleased.  
>  LESTRADE: Is he? That’s nice(!) I suppose he likes having all the same faces back together. Appeals to his … his …  
>  JOHN: … Asperger’s?  
>  _(Sherlock comes out of the pub and glowers at John, having heard the last word.)_

So, full disclosure; the very first time I watched THoB, I had to pause after the above exchange. And take a moment. And consider whether or not I really wanted to continue watching. Because, and I’m going to bold this because it’s important to the rest of this post,  **someone’s mental health should never be a throwaway line**. I thought maybe they were setting up a longer, more nuanced conversation later on. That maybe this was going to be one of the rare shows that tackle ASD is a realistic way. And, selfishly, I knew the next episode was TRF, and I really wanted to see what Moriarty pulled off.

We’re more than a season away from that exchange between John and Greg, yet the more serious conversation never happened. Yes, in this version of  _Sherlock_ , Mr. Holmes has been given many traits which seem to point to Aspergers. There are many posts out there that list all the various mannerisms he displays, but what stands out to me on a personal level is him constantly needing to check with John about what is appropriate and what is not. (Not good). I know there are lot of people on the spectrum who can relate to Sherlock and his struggles with understanding interpersonal rules. I think that’s a great thing. A similar example is the character of Sheldon Cooper on  _The Big Bang Theory_. However, the creators of  _Sherlock_  and  _The Big Bang Theory_  differ in one big way. TBBT has never attempted to define Sheldon as having any type of disorder; in fact they make it a point to stay away from any categorization. Co-creator Bill Prady once stated, “We write the character as the character. A lot of people see various things in him and make the connections. Our feeling is that Sheldon’s mother never got a diagnosis, so we don’t have one.”  _Sherlock_ went the opposite route, specifically using Aspergers in THoB. Now, whether or not they meant that to be a diagnosis, there are some things, once you put them out there, you have a duty to represent them accurately. My worry is that the creators of  _Sherlock_  haven’t dealt responsibly with what labeling Sherlock with Aspergers really means.

My first concern is the message it sends to those on the spectrum. When John first meets Sherlock, it’s clear he’s a little put off by the way Sherlock interacts with other people. He also realizes that Sherlock’s relationship with Lestrade isn’t the easiest. So he asks the obvious question:

> JOHN: So why do you put up with him?  
>  LESTRADE: Because I’m desperate, that’s why.

Yes, he then goes on to say that he has hope that Sherlock may someday be a great man, but desperation is the central theme of this relationship for most of the series. Sherlock does ridiculous things, Sherlock does inappropriate things, Sherlock does unacceptable things, but everyone around him accepts it because they need him. Because he has something that they don’t. Yes, over time, and certainly over this past season, we’ve seen true relationships form, particularly with John, but the crux of the original interaction was that those around him were dealing with Sherlock because he was a genius.

I’m concerned because I see this as what I call the “Alan Turing Problem.” There’s no denying that Alan Turing was a genius mathematician who indirectly invented the first computer and helped the Allies win WWII. There’s no denying that the chemical castration he was forced to endure after being prosecuted for homosexuality in the U.K. was horrendous.  _But it’s not okay that Alan Turing was gay because he was a genius, it’s just okay that he was gay._ He absolutely deserved a pardon, but so do the 75,000 other men who were convicted under the same ordinance, 26,000 of whom are still alive. What does this pardon singling him out say to them? And to the families of others who were convicted?

The parallel I’m trying to draw was this;  _it’s not okay for Sherlock to be different because he can solve crimes, it’s just okay for him to be different._  If you are on the spectrum, the people around you should accept you for who you are, quirks and all. Not because you can solve crimes/count cards/play piano concertos, but because they care about you as a person. If other people can’t do that, that’s their problem, not yours.  By making oh-god-I-only-put-up-with-him-because-I-have-to a running joke, acceptance is conditional, not total, and I think that’s a discouraging message to put out there. I want my little sister to know I accept her because I love her, and not wonder what I’m getting out of it.

My second concern is the message that  _Sherlock_  sends about what Aspergers and other similar disorders entail, especially to a viewer that doesn’t have a lot of firsthand experience.  Throughout the series, we’re given hints that Sherlock does understand interpersonal relationships on some level; it’s how he makes a lot of his deductions:

_…She must have scrubbed your floor, going by the state of her knees…_

_…He gave the phone to you: that says he wants you to stay in touch…_

_…The photograph’s old but the frame’s new. You think of your children but you don’t get to see them…_

However, for the most part, he’s deleted most of the rules of social interaction, because he doesn’t really care:

> SHERLOCK: …Look, it doesn’t matter to me who’s Prime Minister … or who’s sleeping with who …  
>  JOHN: Whether the Earth goes round the Sun …  
>  SHERLOCK: Not that again. It’s not  _important_.  
>  JOHN: Not impor…It’s primary school stuff.  _How_  can you not know that?  
>  SHERLOCK: Well, if I ever did, I’ve deleted it.  
>  JOHN: “Deleted it”?  
>  SHERLOCK: Listen. This is my hard drive, and it only makes sense to put things in there that are useful …  _really_  useful. Ordinary people fill their heads with all kinds of rubbish, and that makes it hard to get at the stuff that matters. Do you see?

Putting this all together, Sherlock Holmes knows how interpersonal relationships work (for the most part) but has  deleted most of it because he doesn’t think it’s important.  **Sherlock Holmes does not understand human nature because he choses not to care.**  Setting up Sherlock’s struggles with human interaction as a choice and still labeling him on the spectrum is not only inaccurate, but dangerous. Being born with ASD is not a choice; those in that situation are not struggling through social situations because they chose not to care to make room for other more important information. Portraying it as such sets a precedent which could lead to false characterizations in real life. If all someone’s ever seen is  _Sherlock,_ what’s to stop them from assuming that everyone similarly situated is acting like that because they chose to, and can therefore stop whenever they want (or whenever they realize it’s important, as Sherlock has done through John)? There are enough dangerous stereotypes about life on the spectrum as it is; portraying a lack of empathy as a choice is one more that’s not needed. ( _I was particularly upset about the scene in TSoT where Sherlock appears to be sympathizing with Tessa **because he is drunk**.)_

But  _Sherlock_  is only a TV show! Why should they have the burden of portraying something so nuanced accurately?! Let Gatiss and Moffat do what they want! For the most part, I agree with that statement. But there are certain topics, if you’re going to tackle them, you have to do them right. Substance abuse, physical abuse, and mental health are three. When you have an audience of at least 20 million people (very rough estimate) worldwide, some of whom may have their first experience with someone on the spectrum through your program, you have a responsibility to get it right. Especially nowadays, when there’s so much misinformation about what life on the spectrum is like. When every time there is a school shooting, or some sort of other act of violence, if there is any sort of ASD or similar issue in the perpetrator’s past, it’s held up as an excuse. When the line between entertainment and information is blurrier than ever.  With a general a lack of attempts at portraying the life of someone with ASD, those that do need to be careful with the message they send. ( _Parenthood_  on NBC is the most honest example of an autism diagnosis and the impact it has on a family that I’ve ever seen. It is criminally underrated).

My point is this; just because a character is a little eccentric doesn’t put them on the spectrum. It’s completely okay to create a character who has a lot of ASD characteristics, who people going on the spectrum can relate to, and never come out and explicitly say anything. I think that’s great, and we need more of it.  **However, once you chose to use the label of ‘Aspergers,’ or anything similar, there is an implicit responsibility to be accurate in your portrayal.** You don’t have to get it all right, but there has to at least be an effort; the character’s journey should be explored and respected. You cannot perpetuate dangerous stereotypes. And you definitely cannot treat it as a joke.

Ariane DeVere makes lovely [transcripts](http://arianedevere.livejournal.com/tag/sherlock%20episode%20transcript)

 

 


End file.
